Wednesday, April 11, 2012

How to understand Isaiah

“For behold, Isaiah spake many things which were hard for
many of my people to understand”(2 Nephi 25:1)

The people of Nephi had difficulty understanding Isaiah,
and they had Nephi for a teacher. Now I don’t feel so bad when I struggle with
Isaiah myself.

Nephi gives us the key to understanding Isaiah:

“the words of Isaiah are not plain unto you, nevertheless
they are plain unto all those that are filled with the spirit of prophecy.” (2
Nephi 25:4)

So here’s my thought: if the words of Isaiah still aren’t
plain to me, am I safe to assume that I am still not filled with the spirit of
prophecy? What does it mean to be filled? What is the spirit of prophecy?

John the revelator taught us “the testimony of Jesus is
the spirit of prophecy.” (Revelation 19:10)

I have a testimony of Jesus. I know that I have a testimony
of Him. Why aren’t the words of Isaiah plain to me? I think this is where we
begin to really look at what it means to be filled with something in the gospel
sense.

So what does it mean to be “filled with the spirit of
prophecy”?

Could we liken the testimony of Jesus with knowledge or
light?

“And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies
shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that
body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things” (D&C 88:67)

The verse above specifically says that our whole body will
be filled with light. Let us assume then, that this is the definition that the
Lord uses to mean filled. That when we are filled with something, we are filled
completely with no room for anything else to take up space.

Can we have a testimony of Jesus and not be filled with
it? I think yes. I, myself have had wonderful experiences that have built my
testimony of the Savior. I know that He is my Savior and that He lives. Do I
always act like I have that knowledge? Unfortunately no. I make mistakes, poor
choices that do not testify that I have a testimony of Christ.

I think that to be filled with the spirit of prophecy or
the testimony of Jesus we have to give no part of ourselves to unworthy thoughts
or actions. When we do things that offend the spirit in full or in part, there
is a void in us that can and will be filled by things that are not our
testimony of Jesus.

We need to allow the Lord to fill us with pure
intelligence about the Savior Jesus Christ. After we have that knowledge, we
need to do everything we can to protect it, and to nurture it. If we lack
understanding, we can ask for it in prayer. Once we are filled with the spirit
of prophecy we will be able to understand the words of Isaiah, as well as the
words of all the other prophets and apostles in the way they were meant to be
understood.

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My name is D. Lowell Brown. I have been writing LDS related literature on and off for nine years. Two of my articles have appeared in the New Era.
I love writing about the gospel, and hope that you will enjoy reading.